Jamaica Information / Minister of National Security, Hon. Robert Montague, pilots the the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA) Act in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (October 3). + – Photo: Donald De La Haye Minister of National Security, Hon. Robert Montague, pilots the the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA) Act in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (October 3). Story Highlights Debate on legislation to establish an independent body to fight organised crime in Jamaica, including detecting and investigating crime kingpins and persons who facilitate their activities, started on Tuesday (October 3) in the House of Representatives. The Security Minister noted that organised crime and corruption is a significant threat to the island’s economic stability and sustainable development prospects due to its pervasive and covert nature. He noted that, over time, MOCA is expected to break the power of major criminals, eliminate the influence of facilitators and eradicate the pervasive corruption that allows criminality to flourish.

Tweet Debate on legislation to establish an independent body to fight organised crime in Jamaica, including detecting and investigating crime kingpins and persons who facilitate their activities, started on Tuesday (October 3) in the House of Representatives.

Minister of National Security, Hon. Robert Montague, piloted the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA) Act, aimed at transforming the body into an elite law-enforcement investigative agency, operating autonomously of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).

Mr. Montague said MOCA has contributed significantly to the investigation and prosecution of serious crimes.

He noted that MOCA’s success is due largely to collaboration with law-enforcement agencies, such as the JCF and Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) and related entities such as the Financial Investigations Division, Jamaica Customs Department, Revenue Protection Division and Taxpayer Audit and Assessments Department.

“Of note is the invaluable role MOCA has played in bringing lotto scammers before the courts. In fact, during the period August 2014 to December 2016, MOCA aided in securing 132 convictions,” Mr. Montague said.

The Security Minister noted that organised crime and corruption is a significant threat to the island’s economic stability and sustainable development prospects due to its pervasive and covert nature.

He stated that organised crime also has the ability to undermine government structures by corrupting government officials and threatening law and order.

“The nature of organised crime, therefore, requires sustained, focused, strong investigations and dedicated resources over long periods of time to eliminate this threat. It is against this backdrop that this Bill establishes ‘a new MOCA’ as an independent law-enforcement agency,” the Security Minister said.

He explained that the new MOCA will have the ability to dedicate the time, and will be given the resources required to conduct intelligence-led investigations to identify the bosses of organised crime and their facilitators, seize their assets and secure convictions.

Clause 6 of the Act outlines the functions of the Agency. In addition to investigative and prosecutorial duties related to serious crimes, it will also receive complaints in relation to alleged or suspected acts involving serious crime; gather, store, process, analyse and disseminate information that is relevant to activities to combat serious crime; and carry out counterterrorism functions as may be conferred on the Agency by the Minister.

Clause 7 of the Act requires a distinction between the Agency’s investigative and prosecutorial functions by preventing the same individual from carrying out both tasks. This, Mr. Montague said is critical to ensuring the Agency’s prosecutorial independence and integrity.

Clause 9 mandates MOCA to cooperate with its strategic partners and other law-enforcement agencies. Similarly, these law-enforcement agencies are required to cooperate with MOCA.

The arrangements for the administration of the Agency are set out in Part III of the Bill in Clauses 12-21.

This includes the post of Director General, who will be the administrative head of the Agency and will be appointed by the Governor-General on the recommendation of the Minister, subject to the approval of the Prime Minister and after consultation with the Leader of the Opposition.

Clause 15 reinforces the ultimate responsibility of the Director General and sets out the parameters within which the functions of the Director General may be delegated to another officer of the Agency.

Clause 21 imposes on all employees of the Agency an obligation of secrecy, in relation to the documents and records of the Agency. This clause also requires all employees to take an oath of office.

Clauses 32-36 establish the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency Oversight Committee, which the Minister said is deemed critical to ensuring accountability to the Jamaican populace on the part of the Agency and its officers.

“Critically, the Director General is not exempt from the reach of the Oversight Committee. In so doing, we are demonstrating to the public that the powers accorded to MOCA and its officers are not unfettered, and there will be consequences for breaches of the rights of Jamaicans,” Mr. Montague said.

He noted that, over time, MOCA is expected to break the power of major criminals, eliminate the influence of facilitators and eradicate the pervasive corruption that allows criminality to flourish.

For his part, Opposition Spokesperson on Industry, Investment and Competitiveness and former Minister of National Security, Peter Bunting, welcomed the legislation, noting that MOCA as a permanent statutory entity will attract even more support from international partners.

Related Stories New Commissioner of Police by September Ministry and Security Forces Devising Strategies to Reduce Crime Young People Embarking on ‘A New Path’ to Economic Independence State Minister Emphasises Importance of Eradicating Corruption

san fernando Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley prayed with members of the Muslim community and distributed zakat (charity) to the needy as he celebrated Eid-ul-Fitr at two masjids in San Fernando yesterday. He attended the Eid services on an invitation from Minister of Local Government Kazim Hosein, who is also referred to as a…

gasparillo The mother of a disabled child was shot dead inside her apartment in Gasparillo yesterday. Ornella Philips, 28, was shot once in the chest. Her body was discovered lying in the living room around 10 a.m. The country’s murder toll now stands at 243. Her eight-year-old daughter, Kayla, has cerebral palsy and depends…

ISTANBUL (AP): Turkish police stopped activists for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex rights from gathering in large numbers for an LGBT Pride event in Istanbul yesterday, but smaller groups made impromptu press statements, defying a ban imposed by the governor. Organisers of the 2017 Istanbul LGBTI+ Pride had vowed to march in central Taksim…

LONDON (AP): The list of high-rise apartment towers in Britain that have failed fire-safety tests grew to 60, officials said yesterday, revealing the mounting challenge the government faces in the aftermath of London’s Grenfell Tower fire tragedy. All of the buildings for which external cladding samples were so far submitted failed combustibility tests, Communities Secretary…

BAHAWALPUR (AP): Alerted by an announcement over a mosque’s loudspeaker that an overturned tanker truck had sprung a leak, scores of villagers raced to the scene with fuel containers yesterday to gather the oil. Then the wreck exploded, engulfing people in flames as they screamed in terror. At least 153 men, women and children were…

WASHINGTON (AP): Making a final push, United States President Donald Trump said he doesn’t think congressional Republicans are “that far off” on a health overhaul to replace “the dead carcass of Obamacare”. Expressing frustration, he complained about “the level of hostility” in government and wondered why both parties can’t work together on the Senate bill…

While reliving the horrors experienced by so many families after another spate of bizarre violence across the country last week, I couldn’t help but picture Tourism Minister Ed Bartlett’s rictus grin plastered on television screens while the elderly and even suckling babes were being gruesomely slaughtered inside their homes. While the rest of us were…

MiamiHerald / The construction, at last, is mostly finished. Nearly 25 years after developer Craig Robins scooped up his first property in the then-blighted wholesale district geared to interior designers, the latest expansion of the $1.4 billion Miami Design District is almost complete. The barricades and cement trucks that made Northeast First Avenue look like…

MiamiHerald / The construction, at last, is mostly finished. Nearly 25 years after developer Craig Robins scooped up his first property in the then-blighted wholesale district geared to interior designers, the latest expansion of the $1.4 billion Miami Design District is almost complete. The barricades and cement trucks that made Northeast First Avenue look like…

MiamiHerald / The craze surrounding Miami Heat’s Vice-themed merchandise is picking up yet again. The Miami Heat announced that the team, in conjunction with Court Culture, will be giving away a pair of custom “Vice” themed Air Jordan 1s through a social media sweepstakes. The promotion began on Wednesday and will run until 5 p.m….

Jamaica Observer / ST JAMES, Jamaica (JIS) — Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Karl Samuda, says the Government has committed another $70 million to assist farmers in Trelawny with the transportation of sugar cane to the Appleton Estate and Worthy Park factories this year. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 63rd Hague…

MiamiHerald / The construction, at last, is mostly finished. Nearly 25 years after developer Craig Robins scooped up his first property in the then-blighted wholesale district geared to interior designers, the latest expansion of the $1.4 billion Miami Design District is almost complete. The barricades and cement trucks that made Northeast First Avenue look like…

MiamiHerald / The craze surrounding Miami Heat’s Vice-themed merchandise is picking up yet again. The Miami Heat announced that the team, in conjunction with Court Culture, will be giving away a pair of custom “Vice” themed Air Jordan 1s through a social media sweepstakes. The promotion began on Wednesday and will run until 5 p.m….

Jamaica Observer / WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Mitt Romney, the former Republican White House hopeful and outspoken critic of President Donald Trump, announced Friday that he is seeking a US Senate seat in Utah, beginning a closely-watched return to the national political stage. “I am running for United States Senate to serve the people…

MiamiHerald / The city of Key West has reached a $425,000 settlement with a tattoo artist it tried to stop from opening a new shop in the historic district, citing an old law later struck down by an appellate court. Brad Buehrle has agreed to drop his federal case against the city, filed in May…

RT / It can’t have escaped your attention that politics now infests every part of life. You can’t watch the Oscars, update your Facebook page or even go to the lavatory without having to choose sides. Legend tells of a time when people would engage in conversation and debate, having formed opinions based on evidence…

Jamaica Information / Acting Community Relations Manager for the Eastern Division of the National Water Commission (NWC), Delano Williams, addresses the launch of the NWC’s essay and photo competitions on February 13 at the agency’s Hope Water Treatment Plant in St. Andrew. + – Photo: Donald De La Haye Acting Community Relations Manager for the…

Jamaica Observer / New FC Reno Head Coach Vassell Reynolds believes that his team is ready to stake a claim for a spot in the top six of the Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL). That would certainly give them a chance to make an assault on the league title when the play-off rounds begin. Since…

Jamaica Observer / MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Seventh-day Adventists and the wider Christian community have been challenged to make Jamaica positively exceptional again by incorporating outreach programmes that reflect their stewardship responsibilities for all facets of the lives of Jamaicans. The challenge came from Professor Alvin Wint while delivering the main address at the Recognition and…

Jamaica Information / Chief Executive Officer of the National Parenting Support Commission (NPSC), Kaysia Kerr, addresses a Think Tank held at the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) headquarters in Kingston. + – Photo: Mark Bell Chief Executive Officer of the National Parenting Support Commission (NPSC), Kaysia Kerr, addresses a Think Tank held at the Jamaica Information…

RT / Presidential candidate Grigory Yavlinsky of the liberal party Yabloko has urged voters not to dismiss their right to participate in elections, adding that boycotts inevitably fail to produce any results. ” We should not go on strike, we should vote, because this is our right. If we all stay at home simply nothing…

MiamiHerald / The Miami Marlins begin spring training Monday with the first full-squad work up in Jupiter, but hope does not spring eternal. Hope sprung a leak. It smells like rotten Fish in here. The Marlins are tanking the season after a shameful winter salary dump that betrayed the trust of fans yet again. South…

RT / The ongoing role of false narratives and historical fallacies. S tephen F. Cohen, professor emeritus of Russian Studies and Politics at NYU and Princeton, and John Batchelor continue their (usually) weekly discussions of the new US-Russian Cold War. (Previous installments, now in their fourth year, are at TheNation.com .) Cohen has been warning…